The King would die tonight.
The Queen lay with him in their bed chamber as if it were any other evening, she pushed down the ever-growing hysteria that rose and fell in her chest as the moments past but tonight was not any other evening, tonight would change their lives forever.

The heavy ornate curtains that hung in their bed chamber were embroidered with gold silk thread, the King and Queen's emblem in each corner, a mermaid for the queen and a fox the traditional symbol for the house of Zelouis. The Design had been chosen by the King and every night they would catch the moon light as it came in through a slight gap between the drapes. The moon light always seeming to land on King Francis' golden curls and dance across his eyes. He would roll away from it, gather his wife into his arms like a nightly ritual.

Tonight, as the moon light hit Francis he made a small breathy sound the brightness causing him some distress as he was to ill to roll away from the light. Queen Adeline got up from the bed  to close the curtains fully with an angry tug, her long white night gown trailed behind her almost engulfing  her body. She crawled back onto the bed and held her head next to Francis and listened to his breaths, now was the time. She knew she had to leave it long enough so the King could not call for help, or try and stop her. She was on her knees, the night gown felt long and twisted beneath her not comfortable at all. Adeline bent her head down and kissed Francis on the forehead wondering if he could feel her touch, if he knew she was with him, her heart suddenly felt very full and very empty all at the same time. Adeline breathed him in, she tried to remember how he smelt how his golden hair felt as she ran her fingers through it, how he would say her name, make her laugh, she would never see him again she told herself but she knew her mind wasn't quite processing the thought, it seemed like a story that belonged to somebody else. With all the thoughts swirling inside herself Adeline then closed her eyes and turned away from him all her walls and barriers going up then as if she had already departed from this life and entering a new one.

"It is time," she called loudly.

There had only been one guard on the door all night, the kings trusted adviser, friend and medicine man Alozie. He was wearing black and the hood of his cloak was up as he approached the bed where the Queen still knelt, frozen eyes closed unable to look back at Francis, Alozie's dark hand reached out for her hand and squeezed it.

"Your Majesty, do you remember what I told you?" He never called her your majesty, the three of them had been friends all their lives the word jolted her back to life.

The Queen finally opened her eyes they were black like her hair, full of an anger, Alozie thought that that anger might just carry her through this night.

"Yes, I remember," she was stone faced and blinking back the tears.

Alozie got up onto the bed until he was knelt before her, it felt wrong but he tried to push it to the back of his mind.

"You will have no memories," he said to the Queen and she just nodded in response.

Alozie looked at his queen and how she sat so regal her back straight, her black hair tumbling down her back, she seemed like a warrior queen to him, a goddess. The young woman who had been his friend only weeks ago that woman had all but evaporated.

As he pulled his sword from it's sheath, he did it clumsily, he knew nothing of weapons or fighting. As he struggled with the sword he tried not to look at Francis, he let memories fly through his mind instead. Francis was a skilled swordsman and seemed to dance when he had a blade in his hand, thinking of his friend made him relax for a moment and the sword fought itself free. Alozie knew medicine and maybe a little of magic and had grown to be a great diplomat but the sword was gift from Adeline, a misguided gift but it was a gift that he knew came from love and had never wanted to be parted from it. It was simple with a silver blade and gold handle and one red ruby and the queen's insignia on the handle, a mermaid, the same mermaid embroidered on her chamber curtains. He placed it's tip on her heart and she looked at him again and nodded he knew he was the only person she could trust to do this but it didn't make it any easier.

"Make him understand," she said.

Alozie said nothing, he looked at his friend, his queen one final time before plunging the blade right through her heart. As the sword went through her body he felt doubt creep in, what if he had made a mistake, what if he had just murdered the Queen of France? But before he could even finish his line of thought her body vanished leaving nothing behind but the mermaid sword, some twisted white sheets and of course the king. He quickly removed himself from the bed and put his sword away, there wasn't even any blood on the blade.

Alozie waited for a beat.

Two.

Three.

The King sat up finally, it had been a long time since anyone had seen the king sitting up. He took a giant gulp of air as if desperate to fill his lungs, Alozie felt both desperately happy and unquenchable fear. King Francis knelt to the centre of the bed and held the sheets between his fingers as if he was trying to hold onto water.

"Where's my wife?" He said quietly at first.

Alozie tried to make the words formulate in his mouth but his tongue just sat there like a fat limp thing, he did not know the answer.

Then the King walked across the mattress long tall and golden, pink cheeked and full of health leaping onto the hard wooden floor with a thud that made Alozie's teeth rattle.

He did not repeat himself, Kings should not need to repeat themselves but Alozie said nothing what could he say, the truth whirled around him like a hurricane and he tried to find the words. Francis, like Adeline had been a friend to Alozie only weeks ago, he tried to find his friend amongst the kingliness and rage that stood before him but Alozie found nothing but an angry and confused King and man both at war. Francis snatched the mermaid sword from Alozie and pinned it to his throat

"Where is my wife," he shouted. His ocean eyes thrashed and raged at Alozie, he knew he had to give him answers but also knew sometimes the truth is a hard burden to bare.

He looked at Francis who could probably kill him with one stroke but couldn't help thinking that he was in the most ornate pyjamas he had ever seen.

"Sire?"

Alozie flicked his glanced down at the Kings body.

"Are we really going to do this while you are wearing your dead King pyjamas?"

He laughed, a desperate kind of laugh the kind of laugh that is only a thin vale away from tears. The mermaid sword tumbled on the ground and Alozie had his liberty back he gripped tightly to his friends arm.

"The only thing to do my lord is start at the beginning, she made me promise to make you understand".

A look spread across Francis's face that didn't need words it was just another question.

"Your lady was not of this world sire, I have just sent her home".